A retired nurse from Stockport has been awarded £50,000 after a root canal treatment left him hospitalized for weeks with a missing tooth and a heart infection that could potentially cut his life short by five years.
Gerry White, 65, received the payout in February after dental treatment at a dentist’s office in 2012 led to an ongoing abscess that caused infective endocarditis – a potentially fatal inflammation of the lining of the heart’s valves.
The father-of-three was hospitalized for six weeks in November 2017 due to this infection and required heart valve replacement surgery in June 2018. Doctors told him his life expectancy could be shortened by up to five years as a result.
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Specialist dental negligence solicitors, Dental Law Partnership, said their investigations revealed that a poorly carried out root canal treatment by the dentist’s practice in 2012 was responsible for the life-threatening infection. This also led to a tooth being extracted, meaning Gerry now wears dentures.
The practice said it is unable to comment on actions or clinical decisions made by any self-employed dentist, but wishes Gerry a “speedy recovery”.
Gerry, who lives with his wife Louise, 66, and has two grandchildren, wants to encourage others not to “let it go” if they suspect something is wrong with their teeth because he feels “lucky” that the condition was recognized to him.
“It’s unbelievable that it all started with a little bit above my tooth,” Gerry told PA Real Life. “I wish something had been done earlier and known that it could have been avoided in the first place.”
“I didn’t realize there was anything wrong with my heart at the time, so if I hadn’t gone to the doctors, it could have been a lot more serious.”
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Speaking about the impact of the compensation, he added: “It’s been amazing and we’ve been left with a nice amount of money left over for now.
“We’ve bought one or two things that we promise ourselves, like a new TV, but that means we don’t have to worry too much about money.”
Gerry shared that he had no major dental problems in the past, other than “overcrowding with his teeth” in his youth, which led to extractions.
He started visiting the practice and was a regular patient from 2009 to 2017. In 2012, Gerry went to the practice for a check-up with a dentist, who remains anonymous for legal reasons, after noticing a “small bump” on the top of his gum. , where they performed treatment.
Gerry said the dentist performed a root canal on an upper incisor, although he claims the procedure was not explained to him beforehand. “I knew (the dentist) was drilling and I’m used to fillings, so I wasn’t too worried and the little piece disappeared,” she said.
“As a former healthcare paramedic, I would talk to doctors and nurses and you would trust what they said and what they did.”
Gerry revealed that he had been dealing with ongoing issues related to an abscess in his mouth around the root canal tooth over the years.
“I felt swollen sometimes and occasionally the abscess would burst which left a bad taste in my mouth,” she said.
“It was a bit of a nuisance but I didn’t think much of it at the time as the dentists had never seemed too concerned and had told me to keep an eye on it.”
However, Gerry’s health took a turn for the worse in November 2017 when he began experiencing joint pain and flu-like symptoms, which later escalated to shortness of breath and difficulty climbing stairs.
After seeing his doctor, he was told his hemoglobin levels were dangerously low and he had a high temperature of 39.8C, so he was referred to Stepping Hill Hospital for further investigation.
He said he was transferred to Wyhenshawe Hospital A&E as she had become extremely short of breath.
“The rest is history,” Jerry said.
“I vividly remember a doctor doing tests and asking me how long I had had a heart murmur, but as far as I knew I hadn’t.
“Eventually they found that there was an infection in my blood and there were a lot of signs of infection around this problem tooth in my mouth.
“I was admitted to hospital on the 17th of November and I didn’t get out for weeks until then Christmas Eva – I had the tooth extracted on December 7th and only then did my infection start to subside.”
Gerry underwent surgery in June 2018 at Alexandra Hospital HeadGreater Manchester, to replace one of the valves in his heart due to infective endocarditis.
“It was scary, I was told it could shorten my life by about five years and I’ll probably need another replacement valve later,” he said.
After his operation, he and his wife, Louise, were driving when they heard a radio advert about the Dental Law Partnership and decided to get in touch.
With a nothing ventured, nothing gained mentality, Gerry didn’t expect anything to materialize – however, the Dental Law Partnership said he made quite a few discoveries.
He said a review of Gerry’s records revealed that the root canal treatment in 2012 had not been properly administered and the dentist had not clearly explained the procedure. the dentist had not used appropriate protective measures and had not properly cleaned the tooth. and this led to a chronic abscess which developed over several years, which was left untreated.
According to the Dental Law Partnership, this negligence resulted in the bacteria that eventually caused infective endocarditis of the heart, all of which could have been avoided.
Gerry has been left with a gap in his front teeth after a tooth extraction, which makes him extremely ‘self-conscious’ about laughing or smiling, and now wears dentures.
He also takes blood pressure tablets, aspirin and medication to regulate his heart rate, but otherwise feels healthy again.
The Dental Law Partnership represented Gerry starting in 2018, culminating in a successful out-of-court settlement in February 2024 where Gerry was awarded £50,000, although the dentist did not admit liability.
The dental practice has not disclosed whether the dentist in question still works there.
Justine Jones, from the Dental Law Partnership, said: “The significant distress, pain and life-changing consequences our client suffered was completely unnecessary.
“If the dentist involved had provided more satisfactory treatment, his significant problems could have been avoided.”
A spokesman for the practice said: “We are committed to providing clinical excellence and exceptional care for all our patients.
“Our aim is always to ensure that clinicians are adequately trained and well supported in our practices so that they can provide the highest quality dentistry every day.
“We are sorry to learn of this patient’s experience and wish him a speedy recovery.
“Unfortunately, we are unable to comment on the actions or clinical decisions made by any self-employed dentist.”
